C.J.
26 posts
Mar 13, 2006
5:48 AM
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So the crap begins for yet another year. Yesterday I released my birds after a short stay in because of predators as I have done for the past 30 odd years with other teams and I am not quite sure what went wrong but when it was all said and done I ended up 10 birds short tonight. These birds were born, raised and flown here. They started out great then they fell a part quickly. I am not sure if they thought there was a hawk or what but they bolted and they are probably already at the border. This hurts there were the makings of some dam good birds in that bunch. I decided I would send them out one last time before I made my final selections for the breeding pen, then bam. Also a buddy of mine lost 45 to a weasel the other night. He got the little &*^%$ but still lost everything. He had some great birds. Well I guess my choices were made for me. Got to laugh or you will cry.
C.J.
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Velo99
258 posts
Mar 13, 2006
6:35 PM
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I was talking to an old roller guy today who has a llama. He said it kicks ass, literally. Possums coons and coyotes Dogs and cats. If they get in they don`t get out. Takes a couple of coyotes in 15 minutes.
YITS
KennyHpattern
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upcd
186 posts
Mar 13, 2006
6:59 PM
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Where are you guys at with all the predators? sounds to bad and sad. What is the pay off.
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on a roll
7 posts
Mar 13, 2006
7:20 PM
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C.J. where did the ten birds go, do you fly in the afternoon ,did they sky out and over fly into night.never had a predator just chase them off. jerry
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motherlodelofts
637 posts
Mar 13, 2006
8:44 PM
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CJ I feel your pain , I have had a rough year here myself and have lost some very good birds including quite a few old birds.
It's a bad feeling looking in at a half empty kitbox that was full thats for sure , actually it is down right depressing.
Don't tell anyone but I have shed tears over it LOL no kidding , we just have to suck it up and continue on.
Scott
Last Edited by motherlodelofts on Mar 13, 2006 8:45 PM
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merced guy
50 posts
Mar 13, 2006
10:51 PM
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CJ, I know how it feels, I was in the same boat once. Lost most of my kit birds, fosters, and breeders to wild cats, a pack of them, i might add, about 15 of them. I was so mad, because I was new into rollers too and have bred and raised a good kit of birds that would have kick but, but the cats wipe them out, only two survived. I was lucky enough to have known Dave Henderson of Redding California, and when he heard of my lost offered me 5 pairs to breed this year. Guys like Dave Henderson and others have helped many like myself to get back into the roller hobby. thanks to all who have tried to help others in this wonderful hobby.
in the sport
thong
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C.J.
28 posts
Mar 14, 2006
6:13 AM
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Well guys it was early morning when I let them out. It =wa clear and sunny not a cloud in the sky. They circled the house a few times in a pretty nice formation. They were were looking fantastic.Then they started getting further and further out. I thought they would pull them selves back in but it never happened. One more was back this mornig but still out nine real nice birds. As I have said I have flown for many years and never had this happen before. It was like they thought there was trouble in the air. Not a single hawk was in the sky or making a sound from the trees. When I saw them venturing further and futher I tried to call them back. Thats when all but the furthest ten came back. Today I decided to put my top cock and hen in lock down and use homers as fosters. i will breed from this pair as many as possible. As for predators here I haven't had much trouble. This buddy of mine that lost birds to the weasel lives probably ten miles away. It was a weasel and if you know anything about weasels you can go your entire life without being hit then one moves into your area and the rest is history. Many many years ago when I was twelve I had a loft of 73 rollers one morning I went down to feed them and everyone of them was dead. Not a mark on an of them, or atleast not a mark I could see. I went to my grandfather and asked him what he thought. He told me it was a weasel and to put all of the birds in a pile then place a foot hold trap in the centre of the pile. So I did as he instructed. The next morning sure enough there was a white weasel dead in the trap ( because it was the middle of the winter).
Ah well what doesn't kill me makes me stronger or atleast I hope so.
Just My Two Cents!!
C.J.
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Opinionated Blowhard
21 posts
Mar 14, 2006
7:57 AM
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CJ, there are overflys and there are overflys. Most overflys happen when the birds get excited fly too high and can get carried off by winds up high that carry them very high and away to the south or west or wherever. Then there are the kind of overflys where the birds stay fairly low-less than 500 ft and the kit just drifts off in one direction in an S mode of flying instead of a circular mode. This last kind is dangerous-not usually an environment problem (winds). Usually it is caused by one or two strong birds in the kit that lead the kit and take them away. Such birds are very strong, they are kit leaders, and they are slightly mentally whacked. What they do is inherited. It runs in some familys of rollers. They don't always do it but when the feed and weather and mental conditions are all just right-these birds will lose you your kit. This is a really bad genetic trait that runs thru a few familys of rollers. The trouble is, they are often hot rolling pigeons so you are temted to keep them and breed from them. Theyll break your heart. Kevin
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upcd
188 posts
Mar 14, 2006
8:33 AM
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So sorry for your losses. I hurt if I lose one birds. I would be crushed to lose so many. Wow, it hard to beleive a morning fly could cause so many problems. Wish this rollers would learn where they live and still put.
Last Edited by upcd on Mar 14, 2006 8:34 AM
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siddiqir
154 posts
Mar 14, 2006
11:41 AM
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Yes, it is very painfull. Few years back when I started in rollers I bought a kit of yearly old birds, there were 20 birds and paid good $$$ with shipping. After keeping them in for about 3 weeks I let them go out. It was cloudy day and kind of windy all start going up and in the direction of wind and I end up lossing 13 birds...
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Vibey
34 posts
Mar 14, 2006
12:29 PM
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CJ...Sorry to hear that you lost so many good birds. That sucks large man. Ive lost birds to hawks , and now i have a lockdown rule. I generally have to lock my birds down from late november until almost may, depending on the weather and how long the snow has been gone from the ground.This yr i doubt i will fly any of my breeders as i am down to two mated prs, so will just fly young birds, and therefore it may be a few mths yet b4 i get to see any feathers in the air, as my first eggs are just due to hatch this weekend.Hopefully i will pick up a couple more prs of mature proven rollers from other breeders as well to help increase my stock. Hopefully more of the birds will return, ive had birds dissapear like that or when they have scattered from hawk scares , and have come back after three days of absense, but not generally any longer. Good luck .
Vibey
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C.J.
32 posts
Mar 15, 2006
4:01 AM
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Well Guys the final count is in. Two more were back yesterday so in all we are down seven birds. The last bird back sat in the apple tree next to my house in a high wind rain slash snow storm man it was throwing her all over the place. Glad to see her back she is a real nice bird. Just out five cocks and two hens now.
Near as I can figure it could have been a storm coming on( Even though it was sunny and clear when I let them out) It has rained then snowed each of the two days since I let them out. No hawks here yet thank god. I usually don't have to lock down until mid summer when the young hawks are testing their wings and skills. Just My Two Cents!!
C.J.
Last Edited by C.J. on Mar 15, 2006 4:07 AM
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Vibey
38 posts
Mar 15, 2006
7:58 AM
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CJ...Glad you got a couple more birds back. I know the feeling all to well. Many times i've sat @ the window waiting and watching for birds to come back after they have gone astray. It's been so windy here the last two days , it would have blown ostriches away...lol I hate it when it's so windy, as do most feather fanciers i'm sure.
I hope that you get lucky and score a few more of your lost family, but generlly after three days , i don't hold out much hope of any more returning.
Vibey
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STARFIRE
10 posts
Mar 25, 2006
6:34 PM
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Hi C.J;
I was wondering what strain of birds you have,and who did you get them from.I lost a whole kit (30)a few years ago.They went up high and headed north,and must have got caught in a jetstream.Never got one back.Then one year I lost another young kit.They were only flying 4-5 days and they just circled in the yard.Then they went above the trees and continued to circle.and couldn`t break it ,and circled themselves right out of sight.There was about 22in
that kit and i dont remember if I got any back or not.That was weird.
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STARFIRE
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